152 
compared with that of a plant whose cotyledons are allowed to 
remain, being only as 2 to 7. When the plumula has expanded 
completely into leaves, the cotyledons may be removed without 
injuring the plant, and they very soon decay of themselves. 
It appears, then, that this new office of the cotyledons is after- 
wards performed by that part of the plant wliich is above 
ground. 
Thus we have traced the phenomena of germination as far as 
they have been detected. The facts are obvious; but the man- 
ner in which they are produced is a profound secret. We can 
neither explain how the food enters into the vessels, how it is 
conveyed to the different parts of the plant, how it is deposited 
in every organ, nor how it is employed to increase the size of the 
old parts, or to form new parts. These phenomena are anala- 
gous to nothing in mechanics or chemistry, but resemble 
exactly the organization and nourishment of animals. They 
belong therefore to that difficult branch of science known by 
the name of Physiology. 
165 Grapes to ripen early In a communication to the London 
Horticultural Society, J. Williams, Esq. of Pitmaston, detailed 
a method of hastening the Maturation of Grapes, which may be 
important to many of our readers. Observing that old trees, 
with long trunks, the rigidity of whose vessels probably 
obstructed the descent of the sap, ripened their fruit the earliest, 
he considered that the same effect could be produced artificially 
by ringing the stem or branches. This he tried, with success, 
and says, “ The best time for performing the operation on Vines 
growing in the open air is towards the end of July, or begin- 
ning of August; and it is a material point, not to let the remo- 
ved circle of bark be too wide : from one to two eighths of an 
inch will be a space of sufficient width ; the exposed alburnum 
will then be covered again with new bark before the following 
winter, so that there will be no danger of injuring the future 
health of the tree. It is not of much consequence in what part 
of the tree the incision is made, but in case the trunk is very 
large, I should then recommend, that the circles be made in the 
smaller branches. 
It is to be observed that all shoots which come out from the 
root of the vine, or from the front of the trunk situated below 
the incision, must be removed as often as they appear, unless 
